"The largest of these species (Sphyraina barracuda or picuda) is a valuable food-fish, but it has long been known that individual specimens may be poison ous, causing severe illness and even death. There is evidently something more in this than ptomaine poisoning due to eating fish that is not fresh and the probability is that the poisonous quality of the flesh is not directly caused by the barracuda feeding in certain places or on smaller poisonous fish. It seems more likely that barracuda are poisonous when suffering from an infectious disease. Pi& has stated that when barracuda are poisonous this can be recognized by a thin white fluid running out of the flesh when it is cut, whilst Poey says that the poisonous barracuda have the teeth blackish at the roots. However, no real investigation of the matter on scientific lines has been made, and it is quite likely that were such investigation made, the cause might prove to be quite different from what has been supposed." None of the encyclopedias, not even the eleventh edition of the Britannica, contains the word "ciguatera." Parra (1787) has a short chapter bearing the heading " Ciguatera." This has been carefully translated for me, but nowhere does it contain any reference to the barracuda. Parra gives at some length and in very clear and minute detail an instance of ciguatera poisoning of himself and his family. This agrees in general with the accounts given above. He refers to the manchineel theory, but thinks it of no value since in certain parts of the West Indies where these trees abound the disease is wholly absent. He confesses himself entirely in the dark as to the cause and also the best treatment, lemon juice being the thing which affords some and possibly the most relief.
We have here some exceedingly interesting accounts of barracuda poisoning and some equally interesting if divergent theories in expla nation. The present writer having had no personal experience or
observation of it can not express any personal opinion. The flesh of the larger fish is coarse and oily and has neither appetizing appearance nor odor. Such flesh might well be provocative of gastric disturbances if eaten. With us at Tortugas such was used only for shark bait. Again it is quite possible that certain species might be poisonous on account of their feeding habits, and an even more plausible supposition is that these fish may be poisonous at certain seasons only of the year. As for the first it is well known that certain species in a group are poisonous while others are not. This finds explanation in the fact that certain poisonous alkaloids are found concentrated in some organ. These are most apt to be found in the ovary, and are most abundant and dangerous at the breeding season.
In the second place, it might well be that the barracuda, being a piscivore, might feed at certain seasons of the year on fishes which at that time were poisonous, and thus itself become poisonous. This might also lead to its being poisonous in certain localities only.
However, whatever other causes may give rise to barracuda poison ing, there can be no doubt that decomposition products, ptomaines, formed by the action of saprophytic bacteria, must be reckoned with. These bacteria, as Fischel (1892) states, might be present in the flesh or blood, as such or as spores, or might get into the flesh through wounds and bruises, or by the intake of infected food. However this may be, fish (especially such as have oily flesh like the barracuda) "go bad" quickly under the tropical sun and when eaten in such condition would give rise to ptomaine poisoning.